Superconducting coils are known that are made from wires based on ductile material, e.g. niobium-titanium. These coils are made by winding, which implies that the wires are capable of being curved without setting up discontinuities (breaks, crack, . . . ) therein.
The discovery of new superconducting materials with a high critical temperature of 30K to 90K unlike the 8K to 15K of niobium-based alloys makes it possible to envisage designing superconducting systems that operate at the temperature of liquid nitrogen (77K), rather than at the temperature of liquid helium (4.2K). These new materials are ceramic type compounds: La Ba Cu O, La Sr Cu O, Y Ba Cu O. Like any other ceramic, the behavior of these materials is brittle, i.e. they break with practically no deformation. It is therefore not easy to make wires out of these materials. In addition, deforming such wires without breaking electrical continuity is a very chancy undertaking.
A particular aim of the present invention is to provide coil-like conductors made of non-ductile superconducting material and which are easier to make than known coils.